Mural at West Side VFW post celebrates historical community figures

Salisbury Independent
Posted 11/29/21

The new mural on the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10159 on Route 50 in Salisbury was recently dedicated in an event that honored the legacy of four community members.

Salisbury city officials, …

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Mural at West Side VFW post celebrates historical community figures

Posted

The new mural on the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10159 on Route 50 in Salisbury was recently dedicated in an event that honored the legacy of four community members.

Salisbury city officials, state lawmakers, veterans and community members gathered at a ribbon-cutting event to unveil the mural painted by artist Britt Flood.

Featured on the mural are Charles Jackson Sr., Thomas Cornish, Jeanette Chipman and Harold Pinkett -- veterans, educators, medical workers and archivists. All were African-Americans known for their community service to Salisbury.

Those featured:

  • Charles Jackson Sr. -- The founder and first commander of VFW Post 10159, Charles Jackson Sr. recognized the importance of establishing a meeting place for veterans of color who live in and around Salisbury. He was a Mason, and a lifetime member of the American Legion who served honorably as a medic in World War II and the Korean War.
  • Thomas Cornish -- Thomas Cornish attended Wicomico County public schools and served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1952. A graduate of Morgan State College, Cornish became a widely respected Health Specialist for the state of Maryland -- a position he held for 23 years. He is perhaps most widely known as the owner and operator of Cornish Market – a fixture of Salisbury’s West Side for more than 45 years.
  • Jeanette Chipman -- Jeanette Chipman was a beloved educator who lived on Salisbury’s West Side. As the owner of the Maple Tourist Home – one of a small group of pre-Civil War dwellings to survive on Salisbury’s West Side – Chipman opened her doors to new teachers at Salisbury High School, providing boarding and serving as a mentor to countless educators who would go on to follow in her footsteps. Her husband, Charles Chipman, also a renowned educator, is honored on Salisbury’s Church Street Mural.
  • Harold Pinkett -- Most famously known as the first Black Archivist at the National Archives, Harold Pinkett was born on Salisbury’s West Side and served in World War II. Pinkett graduated with honors from Morgan College in 1935 and went on to receive his graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and his doctorate from Columbia University. He worked for the National Youth Administration as a social investigator in the Public Defender’s Office and was the first African-American to become a fellow of the Society of American Archivists and to be the editor of the journal The American Archivist. He was an expert in agricultural archives and served as president of the Agricultural History Society.

Creation of the mural began when the Route 13/Church Street mural was being painted. City Councilwoman April Jackson first suggested the project.

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